Five staff members arrested after British woman drugged and gang raped in Italian hotel

Footage filmed by gang of attack in popular resort near Naples helped catch suspects

The bar of the Alimuri hotel in Sorrento, pictured on the hotel's website, where a barman allegedly served the drug-spiked drinks (Alimuri hotel)

Five staff at an Italian hotel popular with tourists have been arrested over the alleged drugging and gang rape of a British woman.

Police are questioning the workers from a hotel in the resort of Meta di Sorrento, near Naples, who were seized in dawn raids.

The 50-year-old woman and her daughter were on the last night of their stay when a barman at the four-star Mar Hotel Alimuri served them drinks laced with date rape drugs, investigators said.

The man then sexually abused the mother near a swimming pool before handing her to another employee, who took her to a staff bedroom where at least 10 men were waiting and took turns to rape her.

The attack was filmed and photographed by members of the gang with mobile phones. Police said they were able to reconstruct the attacks thanks to the the footage.

The gang had posted photos and videos in a social media chat group labelled "bad habits". One picture allegedly showed a crown-shaped tattoo on the neck of one of the attackers, like one described afterwards by the woman, who was left covered in bruises.

DNA testing ordered by police when she returned home to Kent also helped investigators identify the suspects.

The attack happened in October 2016, and Italian police said they have been working since then with colleagues in Kent to identify the men, all of whom are current or former hotel staff.

Prosecutors say the use of a date-rape drug, benzodiazepine, as well as other drugs, was an aggravating factor.

DNA samples taken when she was back in the UK were allegedly matched with the five suspects. Analysis of her urine and hair showed which drugs she had been given.

The postcard-pretty town of Meta di Sorrento, popular with British holidaymakers, offers views of the Bay of Naples and is a popular spot for exploring the Amalfi coast and the island of Capri.

Photographs on the hotel’s website show plush, luxury rooms overlooking the sea. A one-night stay there in a double room is advertised on Expedia for £448.

The five suspects are Antonino Miniero, Davide Gennaro Gargiulo, Fabio De Virgilio, Raffaele Regio and Ciro Francesco D'Antonio.

Earlier this month police launched an investigation after a British tourist on holiday in Sardinia was raped.